1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a train traffic control system.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a structural diagram of a conventional train traffic control system. In the figure, the numerals designate the parts as follows: 1 a central processing unit for governing and controlling the entire system; 2 a display unit connected with the central processing unit 1 for displaying the day's diagram, train operating conditions and the like; 3 an input device provided adjacent to the display unit 2; 6 an interlocking device for controlling signals in operation, points and the like; 5 a station control device connected with the interlocking device 6 for controlling the same; and 4 a local area network (hereinafter referred to as LAN) serves as a transmission line between the station control device 5 and the central processing unit 1.
FIG. 2 shows an internal structural diagram of the devices constituting the train traffic control system shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, numerals 11 through 18 represent the internal structure of the central processing unit 1, and numerals 51 through 54 the internal structure of the station control device 5, as follows, respectively: 11 a change data receiving part; 12 a diagram memory for storing the day's diagram or an updated diagram inputted beforehand; 13 diagram sectioning means for sectioning the day's diagram of each station; 14 diagram changing means for changing the day's diagram according to diagram change data received from the input device 3; 15 a diagram transmitting part for transmitting the sectioned diagram of each station and the day's diagram; 16 an on-track data receiving part for receiving on-track data transmitted from the station control devices 5; 17 on-track data arranging means for arranging the received on-track data for each train; 18 an on-track data transmitting part for transmitting the on-track data; 51 a diagram receiving part for receiving the day's diagram of the station transmitted from the central processing unit 1; 52 route controlling means for instructing a route control of trains according to the received the day's diagram to the interlocking device 6; 53 an on-track data receiving part for receiving the on-track data of the train obtained from the interlocking device 6; and 54 an on-track data transmitting part for periodically transmitting the received on-track data.
An operation will be described with referring to the internal structural diagram of FIG. 1 and an flowchart of information of the entire train traffic control system shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b). A diagram information of trains operating on the day is inputted beforehand to the central processing unit 1, and saved in the diagram memory 12. The diagram sectioning means 13 sections the diagram information to station diagrams before the trains operate and prepares the day's diagram of each station (ST 11). The diagram transmitting part 15 transmits the day's diagram of each station through the LAN 4 to each station control device 5 (ST 12). The route controlling means 52 of each station control device 5 controls the route of the train which approaches the station to be controlled by the device according to the day's diagram received by the diagram receiving part 51 (ST 22) by controlling the signals, points or the like through the interlocking device 6. On the other hand, the day's diagram is transmitted to the display unit 2 via the diagram transmitting part 15 in response to a display instruction from an operator through 'the input device 3 (ST 13), and the day's diagram is displayed (ST 20).
The on-track data receiving part 53 of the station control device 5 receives on-track condition data including train data such as types and arrangement of trains obtained from the interlocking device 6, station data such as arrival and departure times and the like according to operation results (ST 24), and periodically transmits the data from the on-track data transmitting part 54 through the LAN 4 to the central processing unit 1 (ST 25). Accordingly, in the central processing unit 1, the on-track data receiving part 16 receives the on-track conditions data transmitted from the station control devices 5 (ST 15), the on-track data arranging means 17 arranges the train data and the station data for each train (ST 16), and the on-track data transmitting part 18 transmits the data to the display unit 2 (ST 17). The display unit 2 displays the operating conditions on the basis of the transmitted on-track data, according to a display instruction from the operator through the input device 3 (ST 21).
The display unit 2 is capable of graphically displaying a schematic drawing of the route controlled by the system and trains together with control numbers which are currently on the route, for example, and also capable of graphically displaying an actually operated diagram within a certain period by managing the operational conditions of the trains in relation to the arrival and departure times at each station. The displaying contents can be changed also through the input device 3. The operator can monitor train operational conditions via those man-machine interfaces.
When judging it is impossible to operate under the scheduled diagram owing to disorder in the train operation, the operator inputs diagram change data through the input device 3 to stabilize the train operation (ST 50). The diagram change data includes such items as: (a) sequential change of the train operation to change the sequence of the train departures in a train section between specified stations; (b) train operation switching to switch a specified train to another specified train at a specified station; (c) train type change to change a specified train to a specified type (special express, express, local, etc.) in a section between specified stations; (d) time change to advance or postpone the departure time of a specified train in a section between specified stations by a specified length of time; (e) suspension of service to suspend operation of a specified train at a specified station; (f) restoration to restore a specified train (suspended) into operation; (g) train setting to newly start operation of a train at a specified time in a section between specified stations; (h) track change to change a track number for a specified train to a specified track number at a selected station; (i) destination change to change the destination of a specified train.
The change data receiving part 11 of the central processing unit 1 receives the diagram change data including the diagram change items, specified train data, specified station data, and the like inputted through the input device 3 (ST 9) and transmits the data to the diagram changing means 14. The diagram changing means 14 updates the day's diagram saved in the diagram memory 12, stores the updated the day's diagram in the diagram memory 12 and transmits the updated the day's diagram to the diagram sectioning means 13 (ST 10). Simultaneously, the diagram changing means 14 transmits the updated day's diagram to the display unit 2 (ST 13) via the diagram transmitting part 15, and the display unit 2 displays the transmitted diagram in response to a display instruction from the operator (ST 20). The diagram sectioning means 13 sections the updated diagram to newly prepare the day's diagram of each station (ST 11), and transmits it from the diagram transmitting part 15 through the LAN 4 to the station control device 5 (ST 12). The diagram receiving part 51 of the station control device 5 receives the updated day's diagram (ST 22), and the route controlling means 52 controls train routes through the interlocking device 6 according to the received the day's diagram by controlling the signals and points relative to trains that approach the station to be controlled by the station control device (ST 23).
As a matter of fact, a railroad service in the suburbs of a large city plays an important role as a commuter transport means, so that a disorder in train operation seriously affects the society. When a critical disorder occurs in the train operation such as a train accident at a station or between stations far from any railway yard and it is impossible for the succeeding trains in operation to avoid the troubled train, a new diagram for the shuttle service (hereinafter referred to as a shuttle diagram) is required from the current on-track positions of trains in train sections which sandwich the section where the troubled train is, between stations having shuttling installations and both of the end stations. However, in the conventional traffic control system, the operator has to change the day's diagram for the shuttle service for every train by combining the predetermined diagram change items, so that, practically, the operator often controls the train routes manually after suspending the traffic control system of automatically controlling the train operation according to the diagram, by using a man-machine interface because of a lot of the diagram change items, of a long time required for processing to change the diagram and the like.